Chapter 2, the UK’s only dedicated dating app for widows and widowers, today announces its expansion into the USA and Australia

Widow Nicky Wake, who channelled her own personal experiences of dating after loss into the creation of Chapter 2 dating app in the UK, confirms launch of dedicated dating sites in Australia and the USA helping more widows and widowers find happiness in their next chapter.

Chapter 2, the UK’s only dedicated dating app for widows and widowers, today announces its expansion into the USA and Australia following the unprecedented success of its UK launch in November 2022. 

Chapter 2 will launch in the USA in June 2023 and in Australia in September 2023, with widows and widowers invited to pre-register on the sites to receive two months premium membership from launch date on www.chapter2dating.com.au or www.chapter2app.com.

Since its launch in the UK in November 2022, Chapter 2 has seen more than 2,000 subscribers, who are actively dating and interacting, join the app. 

Chapter 2 is a phrase extensively used within the widow community and is used to describe friendship, companionship, dating or physical comfort, it means different things to different people.  The app provides a safe space for widows and widowers who are either looking to move on and find happiness once again or simply want to dip their toe back into the world of dating once again.

Chapter 2 founder, Nicky Wake says: “I am delighted to finally announce our expansion into Australia and the USA. I have been blown away by how well received Chapter 2 was by the widow community. It shows me that there really is a need for a safe space like this for widows and widowers to revisit dating once again on their own terms and within a community of like minded people.

“Chapter 2 really is a passion project of mine. I myself tried the various mainstream dating apps out there and found it to be like the wild west so I knew an app like this was needed.

“I am so excited for Chapter 2’s ‘next chapter’ and particularly thrilled to be announcing this news on International Women’s Day. I have a lot of ambitious plans for Chapter 2 and will be announcing further plans later this year.”

Chapter 2 Founder, Nicky Wake’s story

Nicky, who runs an event management company in Manchester, was married to her soulmate Andy with an eleven year old son, a high flying career and a life filled with love, laughter and travels. In 2017 her blissful world imploded when Andy suffered a life-changing brain injury.

Nicky and Andy were early adopters of the online dating scene, having met in 2002 on DatingDirect and bonded over a mutual love of music, art, peace and love. They married in 2004 in an idyllic beach ceremony in Jamaica before their son Finn arrived three years later. 

Nicky and Andy were thriving in the business world too - running an event management company delivered glittering awards shows around the globe. Life was perfect.

In 2017 Andy casually mentioned that he was experiencing some chest pain and after 3 GP visits and an ECG it was discovered that Andy was having a heart attack. He had a stent fitted, made a good recovery and was sent home. That evening he asked Nicky to promise that she would always wear her wedding rings in the event of anything happening.

During the night Andy tragically had another heart attack, the stent had failed. During the attack Andy’s brain was starved of oxygen and he suffered a catastrophic brain injury. 

What followed was three weeks of bedside agony, hoping for a miracle and after multiple resuscitation attempts it became clear that Andy was unable to communicate or walk. Andy eventually moved into a residential care home leaving Nicky to pick up the pieces for their son Finn. She learned how to parent solo. 

In 2020, Covid was making headlines. Andy sadly contracted Covid and died in March. Nicky now had to adopt a new identity, she was now a widow.  After some time Nicky decided to dip her toe back into dating once again, trying many of the ‘traditional’ online dating platforms and by doing so discovered that dating while grieving was incredibly challenging. 

It was because of Nicky’s own experience of using online dating apps that she created Chapter 2, a first in the UK widow dating scene. 

Nicky says “After some time I was conscious of just how sad and lonely I felt; at 50 I was too young to spend the rest of my life alone and although I would never get over losing Andy or stop loving him I needed to try and move forward, as widows we never move on. 

I started taking the first tentative steps into dating, I tried mainstream dating apps Tinder and Bumble before quickly realising that online dating had changed significantly in the past 20 years! It was a learning experience! 

After a few disastrous dates I realised there had to be a better way. I had been blown away by the support of widow charities and widow Facebook groups. The talk at widow meetups very often turns to dating and the challenges of dating again. And so I decided to launch Chapter 2.